Chapter Nine

Were the police themselves leaking out the so called confidential evidence against her to the media?

Helen's shrill voice clogged her mind: "Don’t you see the proof of her promiscuous nature yourself? It’s everywhere!"Followed immediately by Adrian's quiet warning: Now, it all made sense.

Tears slipped from her eyes before she even realized she was crying. Her legs gave out. She staggered backward, collapsing onto the mattress. 

Her shaking fingers scrolled through the endless rows of text. The messages... the public comments... they were a bloodbath.

*@Pink_Vine: I thought high-society people had some class, but this slut literally went rounds with the old man and then ended his life? Disgusting.

*@Fame_Spray: The guy brought it on himself. This is what happens when you chase gold-digging bitches who end up murdering you in cold blood. But wait, isn't she the daughter of that elite family behind Infinite Sky Tech and Baseline Forum Enterprises? This is insane.

@Killjoy_94: Ah.Damn, the bitch is hot though. Probably took him to heaven first, then straight to hell.

The direct messages flooding her private inbox were just as heart-wrenching.

"She must've tasted good. I'm really jealous."Lydia subconsciously read the vulgar comment out loud, the words scraping past her gritted teeth.

She had known things would be bad, but she never anticipated a nightmare of this magnitude. The execution of the leak was flawless and almost too perfect, she realized, her panic sharpening.

This wasn't calculated by some random stranger or an outside enemy.She tried to rationalize it. She didn't possess some massive, hidden secret inheritance that would make a close relative target her like a villain in a suspense movie.

This whole disaster had erupted out of the blue, leaving no real traces behind.Then an idea that first formed in her mind.Did this have to do with someone from the Gerald family?

Yes. For an elite person like Adrian Harold orchestrating a digital assassination ,and everything else like this ,would be trivial but he wasn't really out of the question.But what if someone within the Gerald family circle was trying to destroy Lydia's reputation? 

If they discredited her the Sinclair, they could swoop in, secure a premium place for themselves, and take full control of the multi-billion-dollar corporate alliance.The sheer weight of the conspiracy pressed down on her chest. 

She sank into the mattress, as numbness spreading through her veins until it felt like nothing in the world mattered anymore.But her heart she knew she—she was going to get to the root of this matter.And who ever it was would get his recompuence. She was not some cheap object to be toyed with by whatever psycho was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

* * *

Lydia ended up sleeping for over five hours, though her tiredness-induced nap was plagued by a relentless cycle of bad dreams. It was no surprise; she hadn't managed to close her eyes for a single second during that night at the police precinct. Now, even in the safety of this estate, her subconscious refused to grant her peace.

Suddenly,Lydia's eyes flew open.

A firm hand was at the back of her neck.

That distinct presence.Adrian.

His face hovered inches above hers while his fingers pressed lightly against the skin below her ear, as though searching for something.

Before she could react—

"Hey! Get off me!"

She shoved him away,her survival instinct slamming back online.

Adrian stepped back without resistance.

"Just this."

He lifted the damp cloth.

Lydia frowned.

"...What were you doing?" her eyes narrowed before it dawned what was happening dawned on her afterwards. He didn't even show reaction at her aggression but she clearly knew ,he wouldn't want her jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Her body was burning up; a fever had taken root. She still inwardly cursed herself for letting her guard drop. If Adrian had harbored any malicious intentions, her story would have ended right then and there.

And what was this frantic pounding in her chest? 

Had her anxiety spiked through the roof, or was her treacherous heart actually hammering because of her unexpected proximity to some practice stranger?

She forced herself to believe it was the former. She needed to believe it, if only for her own peace of mind.

"Do you feel well?" Adrian asked.He took a deliberate step closer, his features tight with an expressio. Lydia stared at him, stunned. This was the first time she had caught a a pervuliat change in demeanor ,something different from his usual, unreadable mask.

"Doesn't a billionaire have anything better to do than hover over me?" Lydia murmured, her fingers moving defensively to stroke through her tangled hair. "Something isn't right here. You're making me highly suspicious of you, Adrian Harold."

"What?"

He definitely caught her hushed words.Didnt he? 

But before she could offer a retort, "The doctor is on the way."